05/31/17

SpiritGroups….Summer-style! 

Summer is right around the corner and many people’s schedules and pace change. People opt for a more flexible schedule and tend to make fewer commitments, allowing for spontaneous plans of BBQs and day trips to local watering holes.

But that doesn't mean you have to put your small groups program on hold.  It just means it's a good time to consider alternative options for your summer SpiritGroups. 

For our first summer series (last year), we decided not to have any groups organize (unless a group from the spring series decided to do so on their own). I want to tell you why before I share with you our plans for this summer (our second lazy days season) and doing SpiritGroups summer-style! 

Let’s start with last summer and then what our plans are for this coming summer and why. July 2016 was just after we had launched our first series in April and we had nearly 60% participation of our average Sunday attendance. 6 out of 10 people were either hosting or attending a SpiritGroup! Right out of the gate, we had huge success and it was awesome!! 

Of course, you might be wondering, why didn’t we keep the momentum going and just kick off a summer series right away? I seriously considered it, but ultimately decided not to. And that’s because I believe so much in the power of the 10-week series. 

When people make that kind of commitment to their own spiritual growth and to each other, the level of connection and sharing are phenomenal. People reported that, when they signed up for “10 whole weeks” with hesitation, they quickly changed their tune!  They enjoyed seeing each other regularly, appreciated the depth of sharing from the trust built up over the weeks and, in the end, most people were sad to have the final meeting arrive. They had experienced the power of the full series! I’m so glad we really embraced the structure as it was designed and saw the incredible impact it made. 

Now, a year has passed and we’ve had 3 more series since then. I’m happy to say our community is getting into the swing of things and SpiritGroups are well attended and well loved! Now that we have experienced and understand the power of full 10-week series, this summer we’re changing things up and doing SpiritGroups summer-style! 

If your community is anything like ours, there is quite an exodus from town over the summer. Between school being out and families traveling to grandchildren visiting and trips to “the lake,” Sunday attendance noticeably drops. People tend to hesitate to make big time commitments to enjoy a flexible schedule for last minute plans. 

 Due to our community’s understanding and appreciation for the 10-week series and the desire to stay connected but have the flexibility, we are implementing a new summer SpiritGroup structure. 

Our ministry will be organizing our small groups around people’s passions for causes/non-profit organizations.  Each group will complete a service project and participants only need to commit to 3 meetings.

Once 3-6 people have identified a population they want to serve, they then set the date for their first meeting. At this meeting, they talk about and research their project as well as set the date for their next meeting. At the second meeting, they will either do their service or work out more of the details. Once their service project is completed, they set the final date for a social event together, celebrating their service work together. The basic SpiritGroup structure of the five Spiritual Disciplines– Communion, Connection, Compassion, Community and Challenge – are utilized for all of the times the groups meet throughout the summer! 

Here are some other ideas that various ministries are considering for this summer: 

• Spiritual Movie Nights – Not multiple weeks but one-shot deals through out the summer.
• Pick one video series and having all groups do that same content for 6 weeks rather than the 10 weeks.
• Invite a select group of previous participants to be in a “Host Training” SpiritGroup over the summer

The most important thing is to find ways to keep people connected and serving one another and their community over the summer. 

What are your ideas? Please share them in the comments area below!

Written by Tara Wear, SpiritGroups Program Leader at Unity Spiritual Center in Spokane, WA